President Trump’s trade timeline is shifting. While tariff letters were delivered Monday with a July 9 progress deadline, countries won’t actually pay tariffs until August 1. This gap has confused financial markets.
Administration officials are showing flexibility with deadlines. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and economic adviser Stephen Miran suggest countries negotiating in good faith could get extensions, potentially through Labor Day. Despite recent political wins, major trade deals with the EU, India, and Japan remain unfinished—only the UK and Vietnam have framework agreements so far.